Do not trade for anyone else, or pay any top FA's. Draft well for once.

[GunnerBill]

12 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

They made Super Bowls because of Brady. Their drafting was terrible during the Belichick era

 

It wasn't for the entire time. The last 7 or 8 years were. But that period from the late 00s to the early 10s they drafted really well.

[GunnerBill]

12 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

Fans wanting to trade two 1sts or anything at this point for Maxx Crosby , let me remind you of something. He was picked in the 4th round.  4th.   NE drafted last or near to last for nearly 15 years and still made superbowls. We have the QB, start hitting on our own draft picks like they did for once.  

 

Trade down, its a deep draft that isn't top heavy. Get back our 2nd, pick up a 3rd or 4th and for once Hit on these guys.  All Pros can be found outside of round 1, you just got to be able to scout well and pick them.

 

I don't think this is a deep draft tbh. I think it is thin both in top end quality and depth. There will be some players, there is in every class, but it isn's particularly a class where I'd say give me 4 picks between 60 and 120 and I'll be able to get 4 good starters. If I were trading down in this draft get me more picks for next year. That is where I think your chances of hitting are significantly increased.

 

I don't disagree with your principle mind you. Picking at the end if the round is an excuse for not finding all pros if you have been GM for 3 or 4 drafts. This is Beane's 9th draft. That is enough opportunity to hit on one offensive or defensive all pro. But I believe his only drafted first team all pro is Ray Davis last year as a returner and then three second team (Allen, Cook, Taron). 

Edited March 12 by GunnerBill

[JerseyBills]

Agreed 

get low to mid tier FAs and draft well , I'd like to trade back since we have limited picks

 

I think last year was a very successful draft- Walker and Hairston are already blue chip players 

 

Hawes And Sanders have a ton of potential,  Hawes is already an elite blocker but limited in the pass game , Sanders was a bit inconsistent but showed enough flashes that he could progress into a very good piece 

 

Strong looked very promising before a potential career ending injury, he'd be tremendous depth at the very least if he gets healthy 

 

Jackson is basically an unknown,  even before the injury was a healthy scratch but still has a ton of potential 

 

[SoTier]

11 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

They made Super Bowls because of Brady. Their drafting was terrible during the Belichick era

 

Untrue.  They drafted extremely well early in the Belichick era, particularly when Pioli was the GM.  As their success continued, Belichick gained more control of player personnel, and the quality of their drafts declined.   It may be that the Pats lost some of their best scouts to other teams or to retirement.  It may be that they were unlucky or that Belichick's judgement on draft picks didn't match his coaching ability.   

 

11 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

In theory I think @SoonerBillsFan is right.  Draft picks are far cheaper (versus the cap) than FAs.  Once a team has locked in its franchise QB on an expensive contract, it's hard to be a big player in free agency. 

 

So the ideal strategy is to find difference-makers in the draft and supplement the draft with good value acquisitions (think moneyball) in free agency.

 

The problem with that approach is that Beane hasn't found many playmakers in the draft since hitting on Josh with his first ever pick.  Roughly 3-5 Hall of Famers are drafted each year and 10-15 All Pros, often outside the first round.  I'm trusting Beane to get us none of them.  

 

Notable Beane draftees:

2018 - #7 Josh Allen, #16 Tremaine Edmunds, #121 Taron Johnson, #166 Wyatt Teller  -  3 first or second team All Pros, 1 Pro Bowler

2019 - #9 Ed Oliver, #96 Dawson Knox - 1 Pro Bowler

2020 - #54 AJ Epenesa, #188 Tyler Bass  (Traded first round pick for Stefon Diggs, 2 time All Pro and 2 time Pro Bowler in his 4 seasons with the Bills)

2021 - #30 Greg Rousseau, #93 Spencer Brown

2022 - #63 James Cook, #89 Terrel Bernard, #148 Kahlil Shakir, #185 Christian Benford - 1 second team All Pro

2023 -#25 Dalton Kincaid, #59 O'Cyrus Torrence

2024 - #60 Cole Bishop, #128 Ray Davis

 

For a GM who hasn't drafted in the top twenty spots in the last 6 drafts, Beane's record is not nearly as bad as you make it out to be.  

 

10 hours ago, Thrivefourfive said:

Terry doesn’t understand the game. He trusted McDermott. And he trusts Beane. It is what it is. 

 

Would you rather have a "knowledgeable" owner like Jerry Jones?

 

9 hours ago, PoundingDog said:

I'm always wondered about NFL team owner's involvement. Just like any other business, I believe they should be 100% involved, sink or swim.

 

If you were an owner, how would you evaluate a GM and scouting? Let's set the culture and professionalism aside, assuming you can judge that, as most successful business people can.

 

I'd keep track record of every one of my team's scout on players he/she scouted, ranked. There is one draft board for my team but I would record everyone's own board. On draft day the GM makes the decision, but I also want to record other's choice in the personnel department. You do this for 10+ years, combined with pro-scouting ranking of current NFL players, you should have a pretty good idea if there are someone in my personnel department making right calls more than others. If the result is really scattered and no one stands out, it's time to find new blood into my personnel department.

 

I think that Terry Pegula knows how to run a business since he made his own billions rather than being born a billionaire.   Smart businessmen -- and successful people in general -- know their limitations.  They hire experts to deal with the details rather than try to do it themselves.

[Victory Formation]

12 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

Fans wanting to trade two 1sts or anything at this point for Maxx Crosby , let me remind you of something. He was picked in the 4th round.  4th.   NE drafted last or near to last for nearly 15 years and still made superbowls. We have the QB, start hitting on our own draft picks like they did for once.  

 

Trade down, its a deep draft that isn't top heavy. Get back our 2nd, pick up a 3rd or 4th and for once Hit on these guys.  All Pros can be found outside of round 1, you just got to be able to scout well and pick them.

Agree, trade down 100%.. Stockpile picks for this year and next year also..

[Buffalo716]

Agreed I'm not making any more trades and nobody I'm throwing a boatload at 

 

Just calculated smart moves and draft picks 

[Dan Darragh]

13 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

I don't know if I can trust Beane to make the right call on defense. He has drafted a ton of defense to this point and can't seem to put together anything good

Well at least now he won't have McDermott whispering in his ear on draft day.  Maybe now we'll learn whose fault it has been.

[Sierra Foothills]

4 hours ago, MPT said:

You need to draft good players before you can get compensatory draft picks. Very few of our free agents get signed because, in general, they are failed picks. That also means we have to sign more free agents to make up for the lack of draft talent.

 

Those other teams you listed draft enough good players that they can't keep them all under the cap and have to let some walk. Tremaine Edmunds and Gabe Davis are the only two players Beane has drafted that resulted in comp picks.

 

As an aside, the Steelers getting 2 comp picks for Justin Fields and Russell Wilson is absolute garbage and really highlights the absurdity of the comp pick formula.

 

You have a point though others have addressed the perception that the Bills haven't drafted well since 2018.

 

IMO the problem isn't so much who they've drafted, it's who they've extended. Second contracts for players like Dawson Knox, Ed Oliver, Tyler Bass, and Terrell Bernard are mistakes whereas they correctly allowed Tremaine Edmunds to walk.

 

Regardless of how well a team drafts, the answer is always more picks.

 

Everyone can agree that the draft is at least partly a crapshoot. For the sake of discussion let's say a team "hits" on 50% of their picks.

 

If you have 7 picks that means you hit on 3.50 picks per draft. If you have 9 picks that means you hit on 4.50 picks per draft... one more player per draft. Over time that adds up.

[nuklz2594]

14 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

We have Allen.  We need a defense like they had.  

competent QB play. pound the rock. a stout defense...patriot way

[KHAN]

14 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

Trade down, its a deep draft that isn't top heavy.

This.

 

We need as many 2nd through 5th round picks a Beane can get.

A couple of trade downs early, and use the 6th and 7th as necessary to improve the earlier rounds.

Bring in some UDFA's with physical traits to compete. Still expect some lower dollar vets to plug major holes. 

McGovern is the biggest win so far this off season. 

[Bill from NYC]

16 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

I don't know if I can trust Beane to make the right call on defense. He has drafted a ton of defense to this point and can't seem to put together anything good

McDermott is thankfully gone, thus Beane's leash has been removed. I think we will find out very soon what Beane is capable of doing. My hope is that he concentrates on offense. Josh isn't getting any younger. He is the best player in football and deserves weapons and protection.

[colin]

3 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

McDermott is thankfully gone, thus Beane's leash has been removed. I think we will find out very soon what Beane is capable of doing. My hope is that he concentrates on offense. Josh isn't getting any younger. He is the best player in football and deserves weapons and protection.

 

I agree w the first part, but I think if the leash is off he will be going best guy on his board outside of positions where we can't fit more bodies (so no high rb, QB, te, or) and based on what I read about this draft, and what we have in the roster, means we will likely be getting more guys in the defensive side of the ball.

 

Safety, ILB, stout DT we need a starter/premium rotation guy.  Corner depth would help, and no matter what we need pass rush prospects.

 

In o, what could we get fast value from?  Maybe a wayatt teller type who falls down the board as a quality og, and obv a man beating wr prospect can find a spot on the roster, but the offensive talent in this team is way better and most importantly more complete than the other side right now IMO.

 

Things can and will go wrong, but if I look at the o we have on paper, this is the best squad we've had since Allen got here.  In 2021/2022 our pass game looked insane, but the OL was kinda ass, tight end and running back rooms were neither productive nor diverse in skill sets.  Now we have mature goat at QB (but not old!), maybe a downgrade at LG, but otherwise the same ol that balled out over the past two seasons, top 5 RB and te rooms, and what looks like a reasonable middle of the pack wr squad who can't just be erased by top flight press corners behind pass rush (see ATL, Houston last season).

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Strictly SPA for this year's draft.

Smallest Player Available.

In loving memory of Coach McDermott.

[Casey D]

17 hours ago, Buffalo03 said:

I don't know if I can trust Beane to make the right call on defense. He has drafted a ton of defense to this point and can't seem to put together anything good

Perhaps the massive changes in defensive coaching might have an impact.  Just saying.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 minute ago, Casey D said:

Perhaps the massive changes in defensive coaching might have an impact.  Just saying.

"It's a new era.  We better back up a couple of extra yards..."

[Bill from NYC]

17 minutes ago, colin said:

 

I agree w the first part, but I think if the leash is off he will be going best guy on his board outside of positions where we can't fit more bodies (so no high rb, QB, te, or) and based on what I read about this draft, and what we have in the roster, means we will likely be getting more guys in the defensive side of the ball.

 

Safety, ILB, stout DT we need a starter/premium rotation guy.  Corner depth would help, and no matter what we need pass rush prospects.

 

In o, what could we get fast value from?  Maybe a wayatt teller type who falls down the board as a quality og, and obv a man beating wr prospect can find a spot on the roster, but the offensive talent in this team is way better and most importantly more complete than the other side right now IMO.

 

Things can and will go wrong, but if I look at the o we have on paper, this is the best squad we've had since Allen got here.  In 2021/2022 our pass game looked insane, but the OL was kinda ass, tight end and running back rooms were neither productive nor diverse in skill sets.  Now we have mature goat at QB (but not old!), maybe a downgrade at LG, but otherwise the same ol that balled out over the past two seasons, top 5 RB and te rooms, and what looks like a reasonable middle of the pack wr squad who can't just be erased by top flight press corners behind pass rush (see ATL, Houston last season).

I like the above post.

 

My hope is that we use our best draft resources on wide receivers. Looking back, in 2022 we traded up in round one to draft cb Kair Elam. Then in 2025 we took yet another first round corner. These picks had McDermott written all over them. That said, how did our defense look? When we did draft a WR (Coleman)with our first pick, we actually traded out of round one to do so. The Diggs trade appeared to be a good one but as we know he was problematic. 

 

I'm thrilled that we signed Moore but I want to keep it going in that direction. My thing is that given protection and a room full of weapons, Josh will take us to the Super Bowl and win it. 

[SoCal Deek]

Seems to me that the offense is cast in stone heading into 2026. I’d anticipate a draft that focuses almost exclusively on defense. The Bills have a TON of holes to fill on that side of the line of scrimmage and that’s not even taking into account the change in defensive alignment. It won’t be a flashy draft, but as some of said, it’s the perfect class to go for serviceable depth. 

[billsfan714]

46 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Seems to me that the offense is cast in stone heading into 2026. I’d anticipate a draft that focuses almost exclusively on defense. The Bills have a TON of holes to fill on that side of the line of scrimmage and that’s not even taking into account the change in defensive alignment. It won’t be a flashy draft, but as some of said, it’s the perfect class to go for serviceable depth. 

Exactly where I am also.  The last 2 superbowls I watched the Eagles stop the Chiefs on 7 straight drives and the Seahawks shutdown the Patriots.  I could never envision a McD defense stopping the Chiefs on 7 straight drives, it would never happen.  Darnold was 50 percent for just over 200 yards and won the superbowl, going away.   I would like to see a safety to pair with Bishop, I dont view Hancock as a starting safety.  We need a nickel corner to replace Taron, more lbs and a DT, nose to replace Jones.  I beyond sick of the please Josh score 35 to get us to the superbowl when what holds us back more often than not is the defense.  Ive seen the 70s sabres held back by goaltending, I watched superbowl 25 and our defense couldnt prevent a backup QB and a aging RB in OJ Anderson from having 40 minutes of time possession.  You want to take some pressure of Josh, get the man a defense than can be counted on to get a key stop or hold someone to under 25 points in the playoffs after the wildcard round.

Edited March 12 by billsfan714

[Captain Hindsight]

11 hours ago, Dick_Cheney said:

Okay, I've relayed this information to Beane and the rest of the front office!

They probably need to know your post count, did you include that?

[Don Otreply]

19 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

Fans wanting to trade two 1sts or anything at this point for Maxx Crosby , let me remind you of something. He was picked in the 4th round.  4th.   NE drafted last or near to last for nearly 15 years and still made superbowls. We have the QB, start hitting on our own draft picks like they did for once.  

 

Trade down, it’s a deep draft that isn't top heavy. Get back our 2nd, pick up a 3rd or 4th and for once Hit on these guys.  All Pros can be found outside of round 1, you just got to be able to scout well and pick them.

I’m picking up what you’re putting down, 

and the “draft well & re-sign your own “ is indeed the way to go, we all get apprehensive on the draft days, and for good reason, the draft can easily end up a total crapshoot, “ like a box full of chocolate, ya never know what you’re gonna get “  is it gonna be an Elam or an Allen??? 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞